Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

OUR AUCKLAND LETTER.

(from our own correspondent.) June 15, 1875. Folks in Auckland are very glad to see that Dr. Pollen's action in our Provincial Lands Purchase Inquiry is condemned by the New Zealand Times. They are not so sure as the Times that the General Government is free from all blame in the matter ; but whether it is or not everybody is anxious to see the enquiry pushed on till it has thoroughly sifted the ugly rumors flying about. It is quite the fashion here now to join in the howl against the dominos terrarum at Wellington. Nothing is bad enough, according to the Herald and Star, for those tyrants. Thpy are grinding this poor province into the dust, and will persist in their line of action till she is forced to cry for mercy or break out into rebellion. The latest outburst has been about the £6OOO just credited to the province as part of the special advance of £40,000 voted last year. The Daily Southern Cross magnified this into being a grant to meet emergencies, and gave us an article breathing a holy thankfulness, which was rudely disturbed when it turned out what it really was; for the impression here is that Sir George Grey had the best of the telegraphic argument, and fairly proved that the sum was due last March. As every shilling of it has been appropriated, there will be a poor show for the "emergencies." The stoppage of the province's capitation fees and confiscated lands money to make up for our railway losses, has not tended to improve our bad humor. It does seem hard that the province, should have to put up with what is decidedly bad management under a central Government official, and then, in addition to suffering this inconvenience, have to pay the piper for his shortcomings. There is one thing about_ Mr. Passmore which is commendable, and that is the stedfast manner in which he sticks to his curriculum of railroad policy. It doesn't matter how the papers cry out about him, he takes no notice, and keeps on the even tenor of his way. There was a good joke in the Herald the other day about his tariff of fares, which has caused so much discontent. A .bullock's. head was presented at one of the stations for transmission to another station a few miles , off. Two shillings and eightpence was asked for the carriage. The market value at its destination would have been eightpence. A wag wants to know what it will cost at the same rate to send a whole beast from Waikato to Auckland.

For three days we have all been anxiously expecting- the mail steamer Macgregor, which was due from Sydney on the 11th, and only came in early yesterday morning. She encountered fearful weather coming across and has sustained a good deal of damage on her decks. Being very deep, she shipped any quantity of water, The captain was obliged to engage two extra carpenters to effect the necessary repairs en route. She sailed last night with nearly a hundred passengers all told, and a heavy English mail. . Great credit is generally allowed.to be due to the A.S.N. Co. for the way they are working the service. The last three steamers have all made _ the run from San Francisco under contract time. The only drawback is the deficient passenger accommodation on all except the Mikado. "When we get the proper boats there is no doubt the route will be a very popular one. As the time for sending in tenders for the permanent serviee expired on the. 10th of this month, we may expect to hear before long something definite as to who are to be the new contractors. Sir Julius Vogel- -the title fits • quite easily already—and Mr. Thomas Russell have each had a. former experience to guide his- selection ■in the present instance, and ■there is little fear of another Webb or Hall failure; Talking of shipping, the weather duviDg the latter part of last week was abominable. Gales seem to have been flying about all round the coast, and although we have not had any casualties like those reported down: South, there has been a regular stoppage of the shipping business on the wharf, and the telegraph brings word every hour of some vessel or other resuming hei. voyage from some, of the little bays on the East'Coast, where she : had been obliged to put in for shelter. At the, time I write things look a little .better.. The sky and the glass are still unsettled but the wind has subsided for the' present. We have all been talking .of a..very sweet little horse-racing scandal which cropped up over a match that came-off at Ellei-slie, some ten days ago, between Maori Weed, the winner of the Birthday Handicap at thelast meeting, and a selling plater named Daybreak, which •'Mr! Isaacs bought after its winning a' small race the same day. . They ran at a difference of 81bs. only, and when, the match was made; everyone thought Mr. Isaacs, whohas had no ex-; perience.'in' horse-racing, had made a flat of; himself in opposing his animal against the conqueror; of Yatterina on such terms. Long odds were at first offered on "the Weed," but by and by whispers began to'be heard that there was something crooked about the affair, and on the morftingof the race the betting had veered round to two and even three to one on Daybreak. The race came off, and the favorite won easily ; but the jockey of Maori Weed, a smart youth named Edward Kelly, rode in such a manner as to convince everyone that it was a " sell." There Syas a great row on the course, and next day all the papers said the Racing Club ought to investigate; _ the matter, moro especially, as the ( swindle, if it were such, was perpetrated on' their course, and some of their members acted in the capacities of judge, starter, &c. So: an, inquiry was held; and some very discreditable proceedings were brought to light. One man admitted being one of a little party at a certain;hotel near New-i market on the day before th> race, _ wheri "slinging 'the Weed' over" was the principal topic of conversation.: One of the party was Kelly, who, however, strongly denied that any such conversation had'%ken,plaee._ The investigation resulted in the disqualification of Alexander Barron, alias Huntley, the trainer of Maori Weed, who is supposed to have contrived the swindle, and , Kelly, the jockey, from ever entering, s running, or riding a horse on the Auckland course ;_ while„ Mr. Isaacs was requested to explain his duct in the affair, or retire from the club, of which he is a member. The native owner of Maori Weed is held to be free from all_ blame,* as it is well known he did not want his horse to run, and actually refused his trainer the key of the stable to get the animal out, but this little difficulty was overcome by drawing the staple of the door. It is generally the opinion that the club have been a little hard on Isaacs ; many believe he' knew the 6ther parties were working it, but that he thought he was not acting dishonorably in going on with the match so long as he meant to run his own horse straight. His inexperience must, to some extent, be held his excuse. The public have. a, much higher opinion of the club since its prompt action in the investigation.

Mr. Olson, the tomato sauce manufacturer, who left for Sydney in the Hero, took away, it ia said, about £7OOO. Six years, ago he was a mechanic in the Sash and Door Company s factory, so that he has not done badly, especially when it is remembered that ho has been burnt out twice during the last eighteen months. His insurances tho last time amounted to nearly £4OOO. Mr. Richard Garlick, late sharebroker, has bought the business. It is somewhat significant of the collapse of mining speculation here that Mr. Tonsoa Garlick, a,

brother of the above, who had a capital connection on the Stock Exchange here, has lately opened as a linen-draper in Queenstreet.

The bankruptcy case of Geo. Thorne, jun., still drags its slow length along. Mr. Justice i Gillies is inclined to be much smarter with it than Sir George Arney was. He pulled up McCormick very sharply several times during the last two days of the examination, for attempting to fog the bankrupt by over and over again asking the same question in different forms. So the learned counsel had to sit down, and after just a year from the commencement of the proceedings, Thorne was pronounced to have passed his final examination. Now comes the question of discharge. McCormick has to-day been arguing against it for five weary hours. He brings ten charges of breach of the Bankruptcy Act against Thorne. The impression is that the discharge will be suspended, for a time at least. [By telegram it is announced that the certificate , has been suspended for twelve months.] The Bank of New South Wales must be heartily sick of the case by this time. They have no chance of getting back their lost £26,000, and they would willingly let the matter drop, but McCormick seems determined to stick out to the last. Whitaker sits still, his opponent keeps on " nagging," and only now and then puts in a telling rejoinder. Perhaps McCormick's idea is that.it is not every day one gets a bank as a client. . Our Christian young men a short time ago were £ISOO in debt over their association, and it was actually thought that the building would have to be sold over their heads ; but some energetic friends have come to the rescue, and a large portion of the debt has been wiped off. The winter series of lectures in connection with this institution was commenced on Friday last. News from the Thames is very dull. We have telegrams every day giving the crushing returns, and how many pounds of specimens such and such mines have in hand; but this is all. Ohinemuri makes no sign. Tairua reports are encouraging, so far as the prospecting is concerned. The country is said to abound with reefs, and some of them are according to all accounts pretty certain to be payable, if not rich. A great squabble is going on about the prospectors' claim in this part of the goldfield. It appears that there has been some trifling informality about the pegging out on the part of the original discoverers, Preece and Graham. What it is is not very clear, but'l believe the pegs not being large enough has something to do with it. At any rate, two or three lawyers at the Thames found out by some means the informality, and straightway "jumped" the claim. For this again the Government at Wellington is blamed. It is said that the prospectors, when they made known their discovery, put themselves altogether in the hands of Mr. Mackay as to what they should do to make their title valid. There would be a wide-spread feeling of indignation if men who have spent years in prospecting the land, and have at last found gold, were to lose the reward of their labors through an absurd technicality. The inquiry is now going on in the Warden's Court at the Thames. Great surprise is manifested at the Thames Advertiser advocating the claims of the "jumpers." [The Auckland public may " indignate" us as much as ever they please, seeing that under color of law the prospectors have been plundered. "Indignation" is a cheap form of sympathy : could Auckland not do something practical for men who have been defrauded out of their hard-earned and equitably acquired property ? The General Government are guiltless in this matter, as the official correspondence will prove.—Ed. N.Z.T.]

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18750621.2.19

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4447, 21 June 1875, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,991

OUR AUCKLAND LETTER. New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4447, 21 June 1875, Page 3

OUR AUCKLAND LETTER. New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4447, 21 June 1875, Page 3

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert